No image appears on the screen.
■ Check that the power light is green, not flashing, and the A/V Mute slide is open.
■ If the projector doesn’t turn on, the Operation Lock may be enabled. Press and hold the Enter button on the projector for 7 seconds to release the lock.
■ The projector may be in standby or sleep mode. If the projector has not received any input signal for 30 minutes, it turns off the lamp to conserve the lamp life and save energy. If the power light is orange, press the P Power button to turn the projector on.
■ Press the A/V Mute button to make sure the picture has not been turned off temporarily.
■ If the power was switched off and then on again, wait until the power light stops flashing and remains orange; then press the P Power button again.
■ Check the Video Signal or Computer Input setting in the Signal menu to make sure it is correct for the selected source.
See page 58 for more information.
■ Have messages been turned off in the Display setting of the Extended menu? See page 63 for details.
■ Adjust the Brightness setting on the Image menu or select High for the Brightness Control setting in the Settings menu. See page 56 or page 62.
■ The attached computer may be in sleep mode or displaying a black screen saver. Try pressing a key on the computer.
86 Solving Problems
Nothing appears on the external monitor.
■ Make sure the VGA computer cable is connected to your computer’s video port and the projector’s Computer (Component Video) port.
■ Make sure the cable from your monitor is connected to the projector’s Monitor Out port.
You see a blue screen with the message No Signal displayed.
■ Make sure the cables are connected correctly, as described in Chapter 1.
■ Make sure the power to your computer or video source is turned on.
■ If you’ve connected a computer and one or more video sources, you may need to press the Source Search button on the projector or the remote control to select the correct source. Allow a few seconds for the projector to sync up after pressing the button.
■ If you’ve connected a laptop computer, make sure it’s set to display on an external monitor. See page 35.
If you’re using a PC laptop:
■ Hold down the Fn key and press the function key that lets you display on an external monitor. It may have an icon such as
, or it may be labelled CRT/LCD. Allow a few seconds for the projector to sync up after pressing it. Check your laptop’s manual or online help for details.
On most systems, the or CRT/LCD key lets you toggle between the LCD screen and the projector, or display on both at the same time.
■ Depending on your computer’s video card, you might need to use the Display utility in the Control Panel to make sure that both the LCD screen and external monitor port are enabled. See your computer’s documentation or online help for details.
Solving Problems 87
If you’re using a PowerBook or iBook with Macintosh OS X:
1. From the Apple menu, select System Preferences, then click Display or Displays.
2. Select VGA Display or Color LCD, click Arrange or Arrangement, then put a checkmark in Mirror Displays.
The message Not Supported is displayed.
■ Make sure your computer’s resolution doesn’t exceed XGA (for the PowerLite 77c) or SVGA (for the PowerLite S5 Series) and the frequency is supported by the projector. See page 98. If necessary, change your computer’s resolution setting as described below.
■ Make sure the correct Video Signal is selected in the Signal menu. See page 60. It should normally be set to Auto.
The buttons on the projector don’t work.
The Operation Lock may be enabled. Press and hold the Enter button on the projector for 7 seconds to release the lock.
Only part of the computer image is displayed.
■ If you’re projecting from a computer or RGB video device, press the Auto button on the remote control. If this doesn’t work or if you’re projecting from a component, composite, or S-Video device, you may need to adjust the Position setting in the Signal menu. See page 59 for more information.
■ If you’ve enlarged part of the image using the E-Zoom button on the remote control, press the Esc button to cancel zooming and return to full display.
■ Try pressing the Aspect button on the remote control to select a different aspect ratio (ratio of length to height).
88 Solving Problems
■ Make sure your computer’s resolution setting is correct and dual display is not activated. Ideally, the resolution should be
1024 × 768 (for the PowerLite 77c) or 800 × 600 (for the PowerLite S5 Series) to match the projector’s native resolution. If this option isn’t available, select one of the other compatible video formats listed on page 98.
■ Windows:
Right-click the desktop, select Properties, click the Settings tab, and select a different resolution.
■ Macintosh OS X:
On the Apple menu, choose System Preferences, then click Display or Displays. Select a different resolution.
■ You also may need to modify existing presentation files if you created them for a different resolution. See your software documentation for specific information.
The image isn’t rectangular, but trapezoid-shaped.
■ Make sure the projector isn’t placed off to one side of the screen, at an angle, or the image won’t be rectangular. Place it directly in front of the center of the screen, facing the screen squarely.
■ If you’ve tilted the projector upward, the image will be broader at the top. Turn on Auto Keystone correction as described on page 61 (PowerLite 77c only) or hold down the or buttons on top of the projector until the image is rectangular.
The image contains static or noise.
■ If you’re using a computer cable longer than 6 feet, or an extension cable, the image quality may be reduced.
■ Keep your computer and video cables separated from the power cord as much as possible to prevent interference.
■ The video signal may be split between the computer and the projector. If you notice a decline in the projected image quality when the image is displayed simultaneously on your laptop computer and the projector, turn off the laptop’s LCD display.
Solving Problems 89
■ If you’re projecting from a composite or S-Video source, check the Video Signal setting in the Signal menu. In most cases, leave it set at Auto. If you’re using a 60-Hz PAL video source, change this setting to PAL60. See page 60 for details.
■ Make sure the cables are securely connected at both ends.
■ Select the correct resolution; see “Compatible Video Formats” on page 98.
■ If you’re projecting from a computer, press the Auto button on the remote control or the Enter button on the projector to adjust tracking and sync automatically. If that doesn’t work, try
adjusting the Sync and Tracking settings in the Signal menu.
See page 59.
The image is blurry.
■ Adjust the focus using the focus ring.
■ There may be dirt or smears on the lens. Clean the lens as described on page 74.
■ Make sure the lens is not fogged by condensation. You may need to wait before using the projector after moving it from a cold environment.
■ Make sure the projection distance is within the range described on page 16.
■ Adjust the Sharpness setting on the Image menu (see page 57).
You should be able to see the effect on the screen immediately.
You see vertical stripes or the image still looks blurry after trying the solutions in the previous section.
■ If you’re projecting from a computer and displaying an image that contains a lot of fine detail, you may notice one or more vertical stripes or bands, or some of the characters may look heavy or blurred. Press the Auto button on the remote control. This resets the projector’s tracking and sync settings.
90 Solving Problems
■ If further adjustment is needed, you can fine-tune the Tracking and Sync settings manually using the Signal menu as described on page 59.
1. Fill the screen with an image containing fine detail when making these adjustments. For example, in Windows you can select a pattern to appear as your desktop background. Or try projecting black text on a white background.
2. Adjust the Tracking to eliminate vertical stripes.
3. Adjust the Sync to increase the sharpness of the image.
The colors of the image are not right.
■ Try selecting a different Color Mode. See page 56 for instructions.
■ If you’re displaying video, adjust the ColorSaturation and Tint settings on the Image menu. See page 56 for instructions.
■ Adjust the Brightness and Contrast settings on the Image menu. See page 56.
■ Try adjusting the Color Adjustment setting on the Image menu.
See page 57.
■ Make sure the input signal setting on the Signal menu matches the signal from the connected device. If the image is too purple and you’ve connected a computer or RGB video device to the Computer (Component Video) port, select Computer as the input source. If you’ve connected a component video device to one of these ports, select ComponentVideo. If you’re projecting from a composite video or S-Video source, make sure the correct Video Signal is selected on the Signal message. See page 58 for details.
■ Check your computer display settings to correct the color balance.
■ If the image seems dark, the lamp may be nearing time for replacement. Check the lamp hours as described on page 65 and replace it, if necessary, as described on page 76.
note
Because of the different technologies used, your projected image may not exactly match the colors on your laptop or computer monitor.
Solving Problems 91
There is no sound.
■ Press the button on the projector (PowerLite 77c only) or the Vol+ button on the remote control to turn up the volume.
■ If you’ve turned off the picture and sound, press the A/V Mute button on the remote control to turn them on again.
■ If you’re using a DVD player or other video source, make sure its volume is not turned all the way down or muted. Also, make sure the cables are connected correctly, as described in Chapter 1.
■ Make sure the audio cable is connected to the correct Audio port.
See page 23.
■ If your presentation includes computer audio, make sure the volume control on your computer is not turned all the way down or muted. Make sure the audio cable is securely connected to both the projector and your computer’s headphone jack or
audio out jack. See page 23.
■ The wrong source may be selected. Press the Source Search button on the projector or the remote control to select the correct source.